Coupling.



No. ?93,951. PATENTED JULY 4:, 1905. G. A. PARRISH:

GUUPLINGH APPLICATION FILED DEO.29,190-1.

itito. 793,95 '1.

-lnrfn Saree Patented July 4t, 1905i CHARLES AARON lARRlSH, OF LAKELAND, FLURJDA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 793,951, dated July 4t, 1905,

Application filed December 29, 1904. Serial No. 238,828.

To all III/b07171 712; may concern:

Be it known that l, Grnxnnns AARON lnnmen, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lakeland, in the county of Polk and State of Florida, have invented a new and useful Coupling, of which the following is a spcciiication.

This invention relates to couplings, and while applicable in many relations has been especially designed for the detachable connection of the side rails and the head and foot sections of metallic bedsteads. ltis also pro posed to facilitate the assemblage and disconnection of the coupling to permit of the side rails of the bedstead being inverted and to have either end of each rail fit any one of the leg members of the coupling, thereby to avoid the production of lefts and rights.

Another object is to obviate the use of extraneous fastenings and at the same time to secure a strong, rigid, and durable coupling which is braced in a simple and eflicient manner and is embodied in a neat and compact form without obstructing the tops of the side rails, thereby to permit bed-springs of extreme iength being properiy supported upon the side rails.

"With these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the ad vantages of the invention.

in the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of a coupling embodying the features of the pres ent invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal crosssectional view thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective View of the leg member of the coup ling. Fig. t is a detail perspective View of the side-rail coupling member.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in each and every figure of the drawings.

Referring at first more particularly to Fig.

3 of the drawings, wherein has been illus trated what will be termed the leg member of the coupling, it will be seen that this member consists of a tubular open-ended body 1, having a laterally-enlarged 1 ortion or base 2, with that side of the body which is' next to the base slotted or open longitudinally, as at 3, and communicating with a vertical socket 4: in the base 2, which intersects the top and bottom thereof and has its front Wall 5 inclined downwardly and toward the body, so as to produce a tapered socket. One side of the base 2 is extended to form a shoulder 6, flush with the top of the base, so as to increase said top and form a broad bearingsurface, the extended shoulder 6 being braced by an upstanding web 7. When used in connection with a bedstead, this coupling menu ber is cast upon one end of a cross-bar ti, preferably of angle metal, and having a similar coupling member (not shown) upon the opposite end of the cross-bar, said cross-bar being the usual means for connecting the legstandards at the head or foot of the bedstead. it will here be noted that the edges 9 of the body 1 at opposite sides of the slot time in transverse alinement, so as to form long bearing-surfaces or shoulders for a purpose as will hereinafter appear.

in Fig. 1- of the drawings there has been illustrated the rail coupling member, which consists of a rectangular body member or block 10, which is cast upon one end of the side rail 11, the latter being in the nature of an angle-bar, as shown, or of other preferred form. Upper and lower integral tongues 12 and 13 extend from the body 10, 'liush with what will be termed the outer end thereof, with their rear faces inclined forwardly and outwardly to produce wedge-shaped tongues of a size and shape to individually lit within the socket t of the other coupling member. A longitudinal grooved seat it extends throughout the adjacent faces of the body 10 and the wedge-shaped tongues 12 and 13, and the tongues are somewhat narrower than the body, so as to produce shoulders 1.5 at opposite sides of the tongues and flush with the top and bottom of the body.

It will of course be understood that any suitable leg-standard 16, cylindrical or of other shape, is received within the tubular body 1, to which it is brazed or otherwise fixed, with a portion of the leg-standard projected slightly through the slot 3 and into the socket at.

In assembling the joint either one of the tongue members 12 and 13 is placed in the socket 4 and forced downward thereinto, whereby the tapered tongue will become wedged within the socket and drawn into snug engagement with the shoulders 9 of the tubular member 1 and also with the leg-standard 16 throughout the lengths of the body 1 and the two tongues, it now being understood that said body and tongues are grooved or provided with a continuous seat 1A to receive the adjacent portion of the legstandard, and thereby secure a snug joint between these members. When either of the tongues is engaged with the socket 4, the body 10 and the other tongue of course bear against the leg-standard, and thereby secure an extreme bearing length which eifectually prevents tilting of the leg-standard upon the rail, and thereby avoids looseness in this direction. Moreover, the body 10 bears directly against the relatively long shoulders 9 of the tubular body member 1, so as to effectually brace the member 10 against lateral strains, wherefore it will be understood that the joint is braced against strains at right angles to one another, and therefore a very tight and strong coupling is produced.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the device of the present invention is exceedingly simple and effective for the purpose designed and obviates the employment of extraneous fastenings. By dispensing with extraneous fastenings and employing a wedging action the weight upon the side rail tends to snugly seat the lower tongue in the socket A, and thereby draw the rail member into intimate relation with the adjacent leg-standard and the leg member of the coupling, and as the coupling is braced against vertical and transverse strains looseness of the joint is efi'ectually prevented and wear will be taken up by reason of the tongue being received farther into the socket. It will here be explained that when one tongue is in the socket the other constitutes a brace rising above the side rail, wherefore both tongues are always in use. Moreover, as the tongues are duplicates the side rail may be inverted, so as to accommodate the bedstead to different sizes and characters of bedsprings, and either end of each rail may be engaged with any one of the leg members of the coupling, which obviates the necessity of producing rights and lefts.

Having fully described the invention what is claimed is l. The combination of a leg-standard, a

coupling member consisting of a tubular body receiving and fixed upon the leg, the lower end of the coupling being extended laterally and provided with a vertical socket having its front wall inclined downwardly toward the leg-standard, the adjacent side of the body being provided with a longitudinal slot extending from end to end thereof and intersecting the socket, and a side rail having a terminal enlargement provided with duplicate upstanding and depending wedge-shaped tongues for individual engagement with the socket, the corresponding outer faces of the enlargement and the tongue being formed to bear against that portion of the leg-standard which is exposed through the slot of the tubular body and the enlargement being provided with shoulders to bear against the tubular body at opposite sides of the slot.

2. A coupling of the character described comprising a tubular open'ended member provided with a lateral base extension which has a longitudinal socket intersecting the top of the extension with its front wall inclined downwardly toward the tubular member, said tubular member having a longitudinal slot extending from end to end thereof and intersecting the socket, and a complementary member comprising a body having laterally-reduced duplicate tongues projected in opposite directions from opposite sides thereof and flush with one end of the body for individual engagement with the socket of the first-mentioned member, said tongues being tapered toward their outer ends to correspond with the inclined wall of the socket.

3.. A coupling of the character described comprising a tubular open-ended body having a lateral extension which is provided with a socket, and a reversible member having tongues projected in opposite directions from opposite ends thereof and capable of individual engagement with the socket, the tongue which is not engaged with the socket constituting a brace to bear against a member which is received within the tubular coupling mem ber.

4:. The combination of a bedstead-leg having a laterally-offset upstanding couplingsocket, and a side rail having duplicate terminal upstanding and depending tongues capable of individual engagement with the socket to permit inverting of the rail, the outer faces of the tongues being continuous from one to the other, that tongue which is not engaged with the socket constituting a brace to bear against the leg.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES AARON PARRISH.

W'itnesses:

J. Ross CoLHoUN, C. E. DOYLE. 

